Kenya has reaffirmed its commitment to prosecute suspected pirates and other sea criminals amid roiling insecurity sparked by a surge in Somali pirate attacks and Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
Kenya will prosecute pirates captured by the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) during operations in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden. EUNAVFOR does not have the authority to prosecute or detain suspects for long without formal charges.
Vice Adm. José M. Núñez, EUNAVFOR operation commander, said reliable prosecutions can have a “huge deterrent effect” on piracy.
Somali piracy began resurging in late 2023 after a six-year lull that was attributed to coordinated anti-piracy naval operations, safety measures such as armed guards on ships, and increased prosecution and imprisonment of pirates.
“Legal finish is engrained in our DNA, in our operational DNA,” said EUNAVFOR legal advisor Lt. Col. Rodrigo Lorenzo. “We seize the cargo, we detain the suspects and then turn to any of the coastal states willing to prosecute the suspects.”
Seychelles also has agreed to prosecute sea criminals detained by EUNAVFOR.
The converging Somali pirate and Houthi attacks are disrupting global trade. Every year, 20,000 vessels pass through the Gulf of Aden on their way to and from the Red Sea and the Suez Canal — the shortest maritime route between Europe and Asia.
Isaiah Nakoru, who heads Kenya’s Department for Shipping and Maritime Affairs, said his country is eager to promote security and the free flow of goods and people.
“We have to work together to ensure that we achieve the aspiration for ensuring there is sustainability and security, and all activities that threaten the livelihoods of people and movements of people have to be addressed in partnership with all those who have a stake,” Nakoru told Voice of America.
Since 2012, Seychelles has prosecuted 17 piracy cases and Kenya about 19, according to the Danish Institute for International Studies.